Building a website is an undertaking in and of itself—establishing a brand, coding the page to do things correctly, making the flow and organization effective, and more. Then you have to maintain the website, making sure it continues to function properly and updating it according to internet changes or social trends. Owning your own website, as lucrative as it may seem, may not be the best move for you. Consider the following ways you can still sell online without building a website.
Marketplaces
E-commerce websites have taken today’s markets by storm! Online shopping is not only a pastime, it’s a culture of exploration and research into the products or services that build a person’s life and aesthetic. Marketplaces are the most trafficked of online shopping hubs, offering millions of products for every need. Some of the biggest of these marketplaces are Amazon, Etsy, or Shopify. These names are entirely familiar to the average household… Even Etsy, a smaller scale marketplace, was used by 2.5 million sellers in 2020 alone! Each of these platforms allows you to create a sort of mini store or profile through which you can post and sell any and every product you have. This offers all the functions of a personal online store without the hassle of a personal website!
Partner With Other Businesses
Be a supplier rather than a frontline seller, and receive the same (or nearly the same) profit you would have as a frontline seller! Take advantage of the relationships you have with other businesses who have an online presence. In this partnership, you can supply them with goods for their stores that will attract customers and benefit their overall profits, and you get your products sold without managing the ins and outs of an online storefront. Partnerships are also a great way to expand your access to customers and resources that may draw them into your physical stores, which will shift their attention entirely to you rather than to your connection to another business.
Social Media
Social media platforms are actively used by millions of people all over the world. These are heavily trafficked, constantly viewed, and increasing in functions beyond personal expression and connection! For example, both Facebook and Instagram allow you to sell products and advertise for your business. These mini marketplaces allow users to explore products from all over the country that are relevant to their wants, needs and interests. Through your social media profiles you can begin selling your products on the marketplace. Even better, platforms like Facebook will do some of the logistical work for you, calculating shipping costs and creating shipping labels that you simply need to print, attach, and send on their way.
Advertising
Use whatever online presence you have to advertise your business. Any advertisement, regardless of the medium or format, is an invite for consumers to come to your business! Make your ads effective, and viewers may have their interest sparked enough to seek out your products in person. Now, ads are meant to be as brief as possible, capturing consumer attention with something creative enough to stick in their heads. Because advertisements should be simple, you should include a link to whatever online presence you do have—social media profiles, partnership information, etc. This will allow the viewer to access further information that will draw them deeper into your business!
Blogs
Websites have a variety of functions that can make them tricky to uphold. Blogs, however, can be created from pre-established formats. Just plug in your own information and you are good to go! Through blogs you can provide your customers with content that can introduce them to your business’s purpose and vision, motivate them to join your cause and support your business, invite them to explore the many facets and tangents of things relevant to your business, or even just entertain them with stories or reviews or fun facts that again tie their thoughts to the benefits of your company.
Highlight Your Products With Sponsorships
Embed your products into other popular online presences, such as influencers or prominent figures. “Sponsor” them with your goods, and get them to endorse you in return! A simple shoutout from a recognized and trusted voice will catch the attention of viewers who are already invested in mimicking that figure in order to achieve similar success. This is a great way to advertise online, with the added incentive of an endorsement, and get consumers to pay attention to your product so that they will seek you out on whatever means of storefront you are on.
Outsource a Website Developer
If the biggest thing keeping you from creating a website to sell your products on is the hassle of putting it together, consider hiring someone else to do it for you! There are professionals that are trained to create effective web pages that run smoothly and look amazing—web designers to help you create the look you love, web developers to program the site, and IT assistance to help you work out the bugs. Let them do the work for you to set up an online store and get you the exposure you need without the stress of handling the details.
Having an online presence to sell your products is a necessary part of thriving in today’s market. You can still avoid the stresses and requirements of owning a website by utilizing these other tools! Try one or try them all, and see what works best for you.
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